It’s Always Something…

My life theme this Fall/Winter has been something like, “Headache of the Day.” In truth, things have been going well: most worries have resolved themselves without much fuss. But every time one fades, another crops up.
Kidding season is approaching, and the does have begun to bag right on schedule… that is, if my notations of when they were likely to have been covered are on target. It’s usually 2 or 3 weeks out, but last year, Aggie #17’s udder began to distend around Dec 1, suggesting a due date I knew to be impossible, to a point where it hurt just to see her lie down. And she didn’t kid until January 26, when it proved to be quadruplets.
Things look much more normal this season, but we’re never free of worry. 7 sets of twins would be fine. Plenty. Perfect.

Nightshade was depressed and off her feed for a day or two: tonic cleared that right up.

Her granddaughter Lilly, awaiting her second twins, has a lame right forefoot.

Edie, Aggie’s sister, is on inactive duty (after 5 kids in ’12) but I’d like to see her fatten up.

The weather has been more merciful than in many earlier Winters: no prolonged bitter cold, requiring breaking ice in buckets 3 times a day.  The horses have been up, to let them dry off when the temperature was dropping, just for long enough to leave a good accumulation of fertilizer where I can easily shovel and haul it.  But rain!! Days of incessant drip, squelch and drumming on roofs, and the consequences for garden work that really should be done in January.

Waited patiently for Winter; only to learn Apricots are best pruned in Summer. So, waiting patiently…

Garlic roots, growing too fast, have thrust cloves out of the soft ground. Too wet to dig them back in, for now.

It’s becoming a theme: squash vines  pulled right after the hard freeze, haven’t dried out enough to burn, a critical bug control measure.

Heavy, promising buds on the Water Maples will make good bee forage… as long as a warm spell doesn’t tempt them to bloom in January!

Yes, always something. Seed orders are fun and inspiring, after thorough sorting finds lots of viable leftovers.   But it would be nice to know for sure that one of the local Farmers Markets can accommodate my full season as in years past… and where that will be. You’ll hear it first!

From my favorite suppliers.. even the catalogs look good enough to eat!